Trump cheats at golf - the ONE and ONLY politics thread

Is this where I chime in about how you shouldn't run for president with young kids?

 

The exact question was:
“And when it comes to establishing your world view, I was curious, what newspapers and magazines did you regularly read before you were tapped for this — to stay informed and to understand the world?”

As Couric explained a couple of years ago, the question came on the heels of 45 minutes worth of foreign policy discussion, and considering Palin was governor of Alaska, with no foreign policy experience, the question seemed relevant.

“I spent 45 minutes talking to Palin about foreign policy issues. We talked about nation building, Iran, a surge and how it might be effective. It was at the height of the fiscal crisis. It’s funny to me that that one question got so much attention. She was so annoyed with me at that point and just wanted me to be gone. What can I say?”

Couric asserted that she was genuinely interested in what Palin read, given the GOP powerhouse’s “strong” beliefs.

“When I asked the question about what do you read, I was curious,” Couric went on. “It was just kind of a spontaneous question. I thought, gee I’m interested. She has such strong political views. Her ideology is so…specific. I wanted to know what she read on a regular basis that helped shape her world view.”

 

I will say that our 140 goes a lot further in the Midwest than on the coasts.

When we were raising two kids on 55k a decade ago, we felt middle class. The struggle was every day, every bill, every repair.

As much as every politician wants to fluff the middle class, when does the middle class end anymore?

 

The median household income in the US is $52 K.

 

Palin is such a whining, blathering idiot. Always blaming the media - the same media that made her a millionaire.

 

Well, I've never felt average.

Couldnt resist.

 

I never understand this question. We know what the income percentiles are for the nation as a whole and within each region. It isn't difficult to determine middle, upper middle, lower middle, upper, lower from that.

Hear this a lot, most recently with Hillary setting the cutoff at $250K. That's a ridiculous cutoff. About 2 percent of households make that.

 

Dixie made a valid point earlier: Iowans are more conservative on the west end of the state (hell, they elected Steve King to Congress), and get more liberal as you head east. Especially the People's Republic of Johnson County!

Weather won't keep the evangelical vote away, though. And remember, the GOP caucuses are quicker because they're a straw poll rather than "let's form groups and see who's viable."

 

At some point, people need to stop framing it in terms of income, which can be ethereal, and start discussing wealth.

 

Oh, wealth is pretty damn ethereal, too. There was that Oxfam thing a week or two ago ... 62 people have more wealth than X billion people!!!! ... When of course they're talking about financial net worth which is an entirely different thing.

Say there's a young guy who borrows the hell out of some money (let's say $50K) and goes and gets himself a law degree at a top-tier school (or, say, a PhD at a middling school). Per Oxfam our guy is one of the poorest people on earth, because he's got negative net worth. Indeed, he's more poverty-striken than just about anybody in China (where negative net worth is almost unheard of). But that's ridiculous.

 

Certainly the thought leaders (like Piketty) focus more on concentration of wealth (rather than income) when framing the issue. Sanders rails against the "billionaire class."

The point being that wealth is easier to accumulate when you're wealthy.

 

It's more of a simplified Internet line, but Wolfowitz and Fleischer both said the oil would pay for Iraq's reconstruction.

Rove Falsely Claims Bush Administration Never Said Iraqi Oil Revenue Would Help Pay For War

Also, Donald Rumsfeld:

Iraq war: Predictions made, and results